– BMW could cause a special personnel move in the WSBK season 2027: The German manufacturer is working intensively to keep Miguel Oliveira with the factory team, which he has been strengthening since 2026. At the same time, many signs indicate that Brad Binder could become his new teammate.
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This would reunite two riders who were already successful together for KTM in the MotoGP structure. In 2021/22, the two were already teammates.
According to Motorsport.com, a partner site of Motorsport-Total.com, negotiations between BMW and the Wasserman Group agency, which represents Brad Binder, are already at an advanced stage.
The South African is considering a move to WSBK due to dwindling MotoGP opportunities, ideally with a factory bike and an attractive contract.
BMW is determined to extend Oliveira
Miguel Oliveira is also expected to ride the BMW M 1000 RR in the factory team in 2027. The Portuguese had attracted interest from Ducati after the manufacturer was looking for a replacement for Nicolo Bulega, who will likely move up to MotoGP, but he decided to continue with the BMW project.
Photo gallery: The career highlights of Miguel Oliveira
Oliveira is competing in his first WSBK season this year and has been convincing so far. In 17 races, the 31-year-old has achieved four podium finishes, all in third place. Besides his sporting quality, Oliveira is also a valuable rider for sponsors and media due to his popularity in Portugal.
Meanwhile, Ducati must find another rider for the second factory Panigale V4 after extending Iker Lecuona’s contract. Lecuona remains a Ducati factory rider, while Bulega will race for VR46 in 2027 with a direct Ducati factory contract.
Former KTM winners reunited?
Signing Binder would have a special appeal for WSBK: With him and Oliveira, BMW would have the only two riders who have brought KTM MotoGP wins so far. Oliveira won five races, Binder two.
Oliveira celebrated his first MotoGP wins in 2020 with Tech-3 KTM at the Styrian Grand Prix and at his home race in Portugal. These successes earned him a promotion to the KTM factory team in 2021, where he won in Catalonia.
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In 2022, Oliveira said goodbye to KTM with two more wins in Indonesia and Thailand. The victory in Thailand remains the manufacturer’s last MotoGP win to date.
Binder made KTM history with his first MotoGP victory in 2020 in Brno. It was the first win for the Austrian brand in the premier class. In 2021, he also won the Austrian Grand Prix. Since then, that is 99 Grands Prix, he has been waiting for another win, and 51 races for a podium finish.
Photo gallery: The career highlights of Brad Binder
This development is one of the reasons why KTM is restructuring its rider lineup for 2027. After losing Pedro Acosta, whom KTM desperately wanted to keep but lost to Ducati, the manufacturer is reorganizing its MotoGP structure.
KTM relies on a new rider lineup
For the factory team in 2027, Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio are confirmed. At Tech3, subject to official confirmation, Luca Marini and the 21-year-old Australian Senna Agius, who currently races in Moto2 for Intact, are expected to compete.
This means Enea Bastianini loses his place. He will likely move to Trackhouse. Maverick Vinales currently has no motorcycle for 2027. Jack Miller, Alex Rins, and Franco Morbidelli also do not yet have a fixed place for 2027.
Morbidelli as a possible solution for Ducati
However, a future solution is being sought for Morbidelli. The lawyers of Valentino Rossi’s VR46 team, who also represent Morbidelli, are apparently trying to convince Ducati to bring him into the Italian manufacturer’s WSBK factory team as Bulega’s successor, alongside Lecuona.
A move to the Superbike World Championship could allow Morbidelli to extend his career by at least another season. He has been competing in the motorcycle world championship since 2013, nine of those years in MotoGP. His greatest success was the runner-up title in 2020.
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